Spike-puller.



E. F. GOBEN.

SPIKE FULLER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 20. ms.

1,300 952. Patented Apr. 15,1919.

1:15.]. TIE. 3 6

EDWARD FISHER GOIBEN, 0F MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA.

SPIKE-PULLER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 15, 1919.

Application filed August 20, 1918. Serial No. 250,735.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD F. GOBEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Muskogee, in the county of Muskogee and State of Oklahoma, have invented new and useful vImprovements in Spike-Pullers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to spike pullers particularly adapted for pulling spikes used in securing mine track rails, and one object, in view is to provide a device having a plurality of slotted receptive means for engagmg spike heads of varying proportions to render the device practicable for service in efficiently drawing spikes of different s zes commonly used in mine track construction. A further object of the invention is to provide an easily applied and operated spike puller having an extensive range of applica- ,tion through the medium of quickly adjustable means to bring different portions of the latter into operative position and embodying a comparatively simplified construction 0 parts. A still further object of the invention is to provide a spike puller having a general contour that will permit a ready and positive application thereof to the head of a spike to loe drawn, and also prevent in ury to a userby a flying spike head that may break off during the pulling operation through the medium of means for holding the spike head against movement from the puller during the operation of extractlon.

With these and other objects and advantages in view, the invention consists in the construction and operation of the parts which will be more fully hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved spike puller shown applied and in a position prior to starting to pull or extract a spike. v

Fig. 2, is a transverse vertical section on the line 22, Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a portion of the puller, on an enlarged scale, shown applied and illustrating the position of the parts after pulling movement thereof has started.

Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section on the line 44, Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on the line 5+5, 3. v

Fig. '6 is a transverse verticalseotion on the line 6-6, Fig. 1.

The numeral 5 designates a flattened head having a socket 6 of suitable length extending upwardly therefrom to receive an operating lever or hand-bar 7 which may be of any desired length. Extendlng from the lower portion of the head 5 is a fulcrum toe 8 having a lower longitudinally curved edge 9 which is beveled or inclined inwardly as at 10, and clearly illustrated by Fig. 6. lhe rear lower portion of the head 5 is cutaway to form a recess 11 for clearing the spike heads in a manner which will be presently explained. In the head 5 an opening 12 is formed which in the present instance is angular or square to receive the corresponding angularly-shaped head 13 of a pivot bolt 14 which is screw-threaded and provided with a nut '15, as clearly shown by Fig. 4, and on this pivot 14 a spike-engaging disk 16 is rotatively mounted. The spike-engaging disk 16 has n inwardly beveled peripheral edge 17 and likewise the lower edge of the head 5 is similarly beveled, the bevels of the fulcrum toe 8, spike-engaging disk 16, and head 5 being all at the same angle and corresponding to the slope or bevel of the flange of a rail so that these edge portions of the several parts of'the improved device may be closely fitted to and positively bear upon the flange of arail during the operation of pulling or extracting a spike. The spike-engaging disk is also formed with a series of circular openings 18, 19, 20 and 21, varying in diameter to cooperate with spike heads of different sizes. The circular openings 18 to 21 are so positioned in the disk 16 as to intersect the peripheral edge 17 of said disk and form slots 22,. as shown by Fig. 5, which "have an outward convergence, the width of the major portion of each of these slots being less than the thickness of theportion of the spike under the head of the latter with which the said slots are adapted. Therefore, it will be seen that the openings 18 to 21 with the slots 22 provide spike head'gripping jaws having reduced free edges 23 to take under the spike heads to which the aws may be applied. A stop .pin 24 projects outwardly from the upper portion of the head 5 and is always located within one of the openings 18 to 21 in accordance with the adjustment of the disk 16.

The disk 16 forms a multiple bit having a limited movement on'the pivot or fulcrum pin 14 or relatively to the head 5, the object of the movement of the disk or bit 16 being to tion will at first clear the spike head and then the gripping jaws provided by the edge walls of the slot will engage under the spike head, the entire pulling device being held in upright position as shown in Fig. 1 and at such time the-slot 11 will be over and entirely clear the spike head and the fulcrum toe 8 will have its rear portion adjacent to the point ofintersection thereof with the head in engagement with the rail flange. hen the parts of the puller are thus positioned, the spike is drawn by pulling forwardly on the lever or hand bar 7 tted in the socket 6, this movement of the puller gradually bringing the lower beveled edge 10 of the fulcrum toe 8 into contact with the rail flange as a resistance means. When the lever 7 together with the socket 6 and the head 5 is pulled forwardly the stop pin 24 will move therewith and clearthe wall of the upper opening through which it projects so that the starting pull on the spike head will be maintained in a vertical line and the spike will have been materially v loosened and drawn from its seat in the tie when the pin 2 l reaches an opposite point in the wall ofthe same opening through which it projects. In View of this operation there is no liability of bending the spike and tendency to shearing off the head of the spike or causing said head to break 011' from its shank under pulling tension is materially lessened. Should the head of the spike break of]? it will be prevented from flying away from the pulling device in View of the fact that it is located within the wall of the opening which it fitted thereto, or, in other words, the head is incased in the opening or hole with which it engages. It will also be observed that another material advantage of the improved construction is that the fulcrum of the improved pulling device is disposed as closely as possible to the head of the spike with advantages in applying maximum pulling force to the spike and a quick loosening with a comparatively small amount of applied effort on the part of the operator, and by lengthening the hand-bar or lever 7 the manual power required to draw a spike will be reduced to a minimum. It will also be observed that the spike shank is caught by means of the converged or tapered slot located at the extreme bottom the said tapered slot engage under the opposite side edges of the spike head, thereby eliminating considerable strain .from the extreme bottom of the bit disk, and as a consequence the structure of the jaws and the disk as a whole is conserved or protected against breakage or fracture'by avoiding the concentration of strain on a part which might otherwise be weak and become injured or quickly rendered unfit for service in efi'ectively pulling a spike.

The several parts of the improved puller may be readily constructed at a. comparatively small cost and easily assembled in. operative position, and in adjusting the bit or spike head engaging disk it is only necessary to loosen the nut 15 and again tighten same after the adjustment has been made, and in the event that the aws of one of the openings become broken, the bit disk can be readily turnedto bring another opening .into operative position that may with equal effectiveness act upon the spike head to perform the function desired of drawing orextracting a spike. It is also proposed to construct the bit or spikeeengaging disk, as well as the head and fulcrum toe, oftempered metal, the disk beingtemperedharder than the head and toe in view of its direct cooperation with the spike heads. It is also proposed to vary the proportions of the several parts of the. device and the bit disk may be formed with a greaternumber of openings to increase its range of application. Though the improved spike-puller is particularly adapted for use in connection with mine track rail spikes, it will be understood that it may be used in connection with any other form of rail spike or headed device.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a spike puller, a head having a fulcrum projection, and a bit disk mounted on the head and having a plurality of openings extending therethroiwh and intersecting the periphery of the dis: to form slots which converge outwardly, the disk being adjustable to dispose any one of the openings and corresponding slot at the extreme lowerportion of the disk.

outwardly, the side walls of the slots being reduced to thin ed es to engage the opposite sides of a rail spi e under the head ofthe latter.

3. In a spike puller, a head having a" fulcrum projection at its lower extremity and an upper outwardly extending pin, and a bit disk mounted on the head and having a plurality of openings extending therethrough and intersecting the periphery of the disk to form slots whlch converge outwardly, the disk being adjustable to dispose any one of the openings and corresponding slot at the extreme lower portion of the disk, the disk also having a limited rotary movement on the head and restricted in said movement by the pin extending through one of the openings.

4. In a spike puller, a head having a forward fulcrum projection and a rear recess at the lower portion thereof, and a bit disk mounted on the head and having a beveled periphery and a plurality of openings therethrough around the center, the openings in tersecting the disk periphery to form inlet slots which converge outwardly, the lower edges of the head and fulcrum projection also being beveled at angles corresponding to that of the periphery of the disk. i 5. In a spike puller, a head having a fulcrum projection and an operating lever bar, and a bit disk adjustably mounted on the head and having a limited rotary movement, the bit disk being provided with a plurality of openings therethrough around the center, the openings intersecting the disk periphery to form inlet slots which converge outwardly.

6. In a spike puller, a head having a fulcrum projection and an operating lever bar, and a bit disk mounted on the head and having a plurality of openings therein with inlet slots through the periphery of the disk, the inlet slots converging toward the outer side of the disk, and means permitting aopenlngs intersecting the periphery of the disk and forming inlet slots with said periphery, the slots converging in an outward direction.

9. A bit disk for a spike puller having a plurality of openings extending therethrough and differing in diameter, the said openings intersecting the periphery of the disk and forming inlet slots which converge toward the outer side of the disk, the side walls of the slots being in the form of re-' duced edges to engage the under portions of a spike head, the periphery of the disk being beveled to adapt the same to rest upon a correspondingly beveled surface.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in'presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDWARD FISHER GOBEN. Witnesses:

VILAS V. VERNoR, C. E. OLDEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

